Existing tent frames in general have locking mechanisms configured and installed at each of the supporting poles. For example, FIG. 1 shows an existing tent frame including supporting poles 101 connected to central pole 102 through upper connecting units 103. Adjacent supporting poles 101 are connected to each other through side connecting unit 104. Connector 111 and locking mechanism 111a are slidably disposed on each supporting pole 101, with locking mechanism 111a below connector 111.
Folding and unfolding such a tent frame is cumbersome. For example, to unfold the tent frame, it is required to place each supporting pole 101 upright at a predetermined position. It is also required to push each connector 111, along with locking mechanism 111a, upward on each supporting pole 101, and then use locking mechanism 111a to fix each connector 111 on each supporting pole 101. To fold the tent frame, it is required to release locking mechanism 111a and move each connector 111 downward along each supporting pole 101. In some cases where supporting pole 101 is long (or tall), each supporting pole 101 is required to be retracted to reduce its length in order to release locking mechanism 111a or pull each connector 111 downward.
In addition to inconvenience for use, locking mechanisms configured and installed at each supporting pole also increase the cost of the tent frame.
Given the current state of the art, there remains a need for locking and unlocking mechanisms, and tent frames that address the abovementioned issues.
The information disclosed in this Background section is provided for an understanding of the general background of the invention and is not an acknowledgement or suggestion that this information forms part of the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.